Blade's Edge
by MegaTank
Summary: When Rainbow Dash is in danger, she finds herself rescued at the hooves a mysterious mare clad in black and wielding a katana. Just who is this Pony, why is she hanging around near Ponyville and what is she hiding underneath her blade and black clothing?
1. Chapter 1: Dragonheart

**Chapter 1: Dragonheart **

"Come onnn… this time for sure…"

Rainbow Dash had been in the sky for the entire afternoon, trying to accomplish the legendary trick she had done twice before: the Sonic Rainboom, but once again her efforts were met with disappointment. She flew back up to her starting point, resisting the urge to kick something in frustration. Although at this altitude there wasn't much for her to kick besides clouds. The Regional Aviator's Contest was in just a couple of weeks, and Rainbow Dash was no closer to being ready for it than when she had started practicing. She had only been allowed to enter because of her performance in the best young flier competition, which left no doubt in her mind that she would have to master the Sonic Rainboom in order to stand any chance of winning.

Rainbow Dash just didn't understand why she kept failing. She thought back to the last two times she successfully done the Sonic Rainboom when it finally hit her. It was only when the stakes were truly high that she found the strength and determination to gain enough speed, which allowed her to complete the trick. When she had failed before, it was because she couldn't push herself hard enough.

"_If I could just get something to spur me on…" _Rainbow Dash contemplated.

Of course, the more she thought about it the less likely it seemed that she could arrange something like that. It wasn't likely that any of her friends would be willing to help her, given the huge risk involved. Rainbow Dash couldn't think of any other way she could find the drive to go all out. It frustrated her even more. If she wanted a chance at becoming a Wonderbolt, she would just have to pull it off the Sonic Rainboom again, one that they would see. How could she do it?

Rainbow Dash noticed the anklet shining on her left foreleg. It was a gift that Rarity had given her as thanks for the events of the Young flier's competition. It was made of silver, and encrusted with a myriad of gems, forming a rainbow of colours. It was a beautiful and valuable keepsake and one she had worn every day since she it had been given to her. She decided that maybe if she dropped it "accidentally", she would have the motive she needed to fly after it, no matter the cost. Rainbow Dash also noticed she was directly above the Everfree Forest. Even if it wasn't smashed to pieces after falling, she would probably never find it again. However, what if she did lose it? Rarity would never let her hear the end of it.

In a decisive moment, Rainbow Dash loosened the clip on the anklet and shook it off. She had to do this now, or she wouldn't get another chance to try it today, and patience definitely wasn't one of her strong aspects. Even if it wasn't as important to save as one of her friends, she knew that she just had to catch it before it hit the ground no matter what.

Rainbow Dash bolted after the anklet, accelerating a lot more quickly than she usually did. At first the anklet fell much faster than Rainbow Dash did, but soon Rainbow Dash had become fast enough to start catching up. She ignored everything else and focused on it as she continued to accelerate, the wind really lashing her face now, and her heart beating faster and faster as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her body. After several days of practicing, she was finally about to achieve what she had set out to do, and it had been so simple. However, Rainbow Dash's focus on her anklet and her almost reckless speed would soon lead to disaster.

In her efforts to catch her anklet, Rainbow Dash had lost all perception of how close she was getting to the ground. Her left wing smashed into the branch of a large tree, sending her crashing through the foliage. Rainbow Dash finally stopped tumbling along the ground and had ended up in a small clearing, only to start feeling a blinding pain on her left wing and her right Foreleg.

Rainbow Dash had landed on her right side, and soon she realised that landing anywhere else probably would have hurt a lot more, as her left wing was bent horribly out of shape, almost beyond recognition. She also noticed that her right foreleg had a small but sharp rock sticking out of it, meaning not only was it almost as painful as her broken wing; it also eliminated any possibility of her getting up by herself. Most of her body had been badly bruised from the multitude of impacts, but that was only an afterthought compared to her most serious injuries.

Rainbow Dash cursed herself, not only because of how grievous her injuries were but also for how foalish she had been. She could think of several "if only" situations which would have made her attempted stunt go slightly less badly as it had, but none of that mattered now. She was in the middle of the Everfree Forest, in excruciating pain and now helpless. It was also now getting dark, and about to get worse still.

Something flew by and landed near her. It was a young dragon with grey scales and black spikes protruding from its head. Why was it here? That wasn't a mystery for long however, as the dragon finally spoke.

"My, it seems it's my lucky day. I've never had a taste of pony before," The dragon said, licking its lips. Rainbow Dash cringed. This day had quickly gone from horrible to even worse. Rainbow Dash wanted to believe it was all a bad dream, but the pain was far too real. At this point, her whole life flashed before her eyes. Then, something nopony could have expected happened.

A pony emerged from the trees, unlike any other pony Rainbow Dash had ever seen. It was hard for Rainbow Dash to make out this other pony in the darkness. She was clad entirely in black garbs except for her head, and was carrying a black saddlebag and what appeared to be some kind of sword along her back. While it was hard to make out in the dwindling light, her coat appeared to be navy blue, while her mane and tail were just as black as what she was wearing. By the looks of thing, this pony was dressed to avoid being seen. Finally, the mysterious pony spoke.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to hurt her." While it was quite a deep voice, Rainbow Dash had no doubt it was a young mare. Her voice was completely calm, which surprised Rainbow Dash, as this pony had just stood up to a rather dangerous foe without so much as batting an eyelid. Could she really stand up to a dragon, even a young one? Why had this pony gone out of her way to defend her anyway? She had never met this pony before.

"So, you think you can stop me?" The dragon challenged her. "My claws can rip through you, no problem. You should run away now, or maybe you'd like to be my appetiser?"

"That's not how it's going to happen," the pony retorted, and proceeded to unsheathe the katana on her back with her right foreleg, and pointed it at the dragon. It was an impressive blade that glimmered even though it was almost dark now. "Your claws may be able to cut through my flesh, but first you have to get through my blade," at which point the pony stood up on her hind legs while using her forelegs to wield her blade.

"You really think your little toy can get through my scales? You're welcome to try, but it will be the last thing you do."

"Let me assure you: This blade is sharper than you give it credit for, and I'm not backing down." It was clear that this standoff couldn't be resolved with words alone. The pony lunged straight at the dragon so that they were facing each other. However, instead of trying to hit the dragon, she maintained her defensive stance, fully expecting the young dragon to strike first, which he did. The dragon swung at her with his right claw, but the pony simply parried the attack with her blade and proceeded to strike at the dragon while his balance had been thrown off. However the blade bounced off his scales, causing no damage.

"You see little pony? You can't possibly hurt me," the dragon boasted. The pony wasn't fazed at all in spite of this development. She chose not to launch any more attacks, instead maintaining her defence so the dragon wouldn't land any blows. One of the dragon's strikes hit the pony, tearing straight through the garbs she was wearing and leaving her with several gashes, but soon she was able to predict the dragon's movements perfectly, dodging every swing at her. Finally, the pony jumped back, and lowered her forelegs back to ground level, still holding her katana. The pony hoped that the dragon would have tired himself out with all of his attacks so she could land an attack of her own, but the dragon was hardly out of breath.

"You're starting to annoy me now, pony," the dragon said, clearly frustrated by his own lack of success. "See how you like this!" The dragon wasn't about to give up, as it was now breathing fire straight at the pony. The pony jumped and rolled out of the way, dodging the majority of the flames. However, she soon realised that part of her cloak on her left flank had caught on fire. The pony however simply used her blade to cut the burning piece off before it could spread any further. She noticed the dragon was preparing another breath of fire, and came up with a plan.

The dragon was about to attack the pony with another breath of fire, only to be caught by surprise. The piece of cloth he had lit on fire had been hurled straight at him. He quickly used the fire he was brewing to burn what was left in the cloth to ashes.

"Did you really think that would…" the dragon started, only to realise his opponent was no longer there. The pony emerged from outside the dragon's vision, blade in hooves. She landed next to the dragon and thrust her blade as hard as she could into the dragon's right shoulder. The dragon's scales were every bit as tough as he had boasted, but there were few things in Equestria that could withstand the pressure from the point of a blade. The katana cut through the scales, piercing the dragon's flesh and making him roar out in pain. The blade sunk in a couple of inches before the pony pulled it back out, leaving the dragon to start bleeding. The pony jumped back, returning to her normal defensive stance, still wary of the dragon.

"You have underestimated me, and now you've paid the price. Leave now or I'll have no choice but to strike you once more," the pony warned, pointing her katana at the dragon once more. The dragon simply breathed more fire at her. However, the pony had been expecting it this time and jumped twice, first out of the way of the dragon's desperate attack, and the second time on top of the dragon. She grabbed the dragon's neck with one leg, using her free hoof to point her blade into the dragon's neck. "I gave you a chance, but it seems you don't want to take the hint," the pony concluded, pressing the tip of her blade into the dragon's neck.

"Stop! I give up!" the dragon finally cried out "You win!"

"And how do I know that you won't try the same thing again?" The pony asked. Then she had idea. She swung her way around the young dragon so she was to the side of him, and then released her grip on him while keeping the tip of her blade on his neck. "You have five seconds to fly away before I press my blade in further," the pony warned.

"You… you'll regret this…" the dragon muttered rather pathetically before flying off. It was finally over. The pony reached into her saddlebag and pulled out her cloth, wiping the fresh dragon blood off of her blade. Curiously, the blood was purple, something that must have been a dragon trait. Most of the blood came off, but a few spots remained, probably having dried on. The pony then turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who had spent the time trying to watch when she wasn't wincing in pain. However, she soon realised the other pony was approaching.

"Who… who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, or at least she thought she did. It was hard to speak in her current condition.

"That doesn't matter right now," the other pony stated quite flatly, pulling a roll of bandage out of her saddlebag. She focused on the rock that was still sticking out of Rainbow Dash's right foreleg. "Hold still, this is going to sting."

"What are you…? ARGH!" clearly the other pony wasn't lying, as she pulled out the rock in one go, and discarded it. However, this caused the wound to start bleeding. The other pony wasted no time, squeezing Rainbow Dash's leg with her own left Foreleg to stem the bleeding. She then let her roll of bandage fall to the ground and unroll a bit, biting a length of it off and wrapping the wound. A bit of blood stained the bandage right away, but the bleeding stopped.

Rainbow Dash moved her now bandage leg a bit. It still hurt a lot, but not nearly as much as it used to. Rainbow Dash tried to right herself, but the other pony stopped her.

"You shouldn't get up, you'll just bleed out again," the other pony explained. Just then, a voice called out from the trees.

"Rainbow Dash! Is that you?" The voice called. The Pony suddenly picked up the roll of bandage and stuffed it back into her bag.

"Wait, don't…" Rainbow Dash started, but it was too late. The pony had already slipped back into the shadows.

Twilight Sparkle had spent the afternoon studying up on different types of magic she hadn't tried before. However, just as she was about to start on "A guide to temporal magic" the door to the library was kicked open, startling her and causing her to drop the book.

"Twilight! It's an emergency! You have to come quickly it's an emergency!" It was none other than Pinkie Pie, who was clearly distressed. However, Twilight simply rolled her eyes.

"Really Pinkie? Let's not forget what the last 'emergency' was…" Twilight responded, completely deadpan. Indeed, Pinkie had caused a commotion when she had simply run out of sugar. Although considering the way she ran maybe a lack of sugar was a real concern for her. In any case Twilight had trouble believing this emergency was the real deal.

"I'm serious Twilight! I had a twitchy tail, then an itchy back and a rumbly tummy!" Pinkie exclaimed rather hysterically. Twilight simply raised an eyebrow.

"And that means… what exactly?" Twilight asked. While she had long since given up on doubting Pinkie's ability to predict the future and sense what was happening, there were so many different things that could have meant that no one besides Pinkie herself could keep track of it all.

"It's Rainbow Dash! She's in trouble! She must have crashed into the Everfree forest. We have to go and help her!" Twilight found all of that hard to believe, but she knew Pinkie wouldn't lie about something this serious. Finally she agreed to go out and look for Rainbow Dash.

Twilight had gone to find Applejack while Pinkie Pie had gone to pick up a couple of torches so they could find their way through the forest once it got dark, and they wasted no time heading out into the forest. However, the forest was pretty vast and they had no idea where to look.

"So uh… any idea where she where she fell Pinkie?" Twilight asked. As much as she hated to admit it, Pinkie's strange twitches were their only real hope of finding Rainbow Dash at this point. Pinkie Pie started to shake her head, only to suddenly stop.

"Wait, I think I have something…" Pinkie stood perfectly still for a moment, before perking her head up. "The great oak, we have to go to the great now!" Pinkie darted off through the forest, leaving Twilight and Applejack with no choice to follow her.

"Are yer sure about this Pinkie?" Applejack called out. She wasn't even sure that Pinkie heard her for a moment.

"My twitches never lie!" was the response that she got. Applejack decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, at least until they got there. Once they got there however, they still couldn't find anything, and now it had gotten completely dark.

"Well?" Twilight asked somewhat expectantly, but Pinkie simply hung her head dejectedly.

"I was so sure she was here…" Pinkie tried to explain. "I mean, my throat swelled up and if my throat swelled up that had to mean…"

"SHH!" Twilight almost shouted. "I thought I heard something."

"Ah heard it too," Applejack agreed. All three of them stayed silent for a minute. At first they just heard the rustling of leaves. However there was a voice over in a nearby clearing, although it was hard to tell whose it was.

"Rainbow Dash! Is that you?" Twilight called out. "Come on girls." They didn't need to be told twice. They ran over to the area where the voice came from, and found what they were hoping for. Twilight and Applejack were checking on Rainbow Dash, but Pinkie Pie just stood there.

"Rainbow Dash! Oh no, your wing… Applejack, we have to take her back to Ponyville. Do you mind carrying her?"

"Ah guess not. What's yer plan?"

"I'm gonna lift her up gently on to her back. Are you ready?" Twilight asked

"Alright, just tell me when yer gonna lower her Sugarcube."

"Don't go…" Rainbow Dash said weakly.

"We're right here for you Rainbow Dash, you're gonna be alright…" Twilight tried to explain, although she was worried about her condition.

"Hang on a second…" Pinkie started. "Rainbow, did you see somepony else?" However, Rainbow Dash had fallen unconscious.

"What are ye talking about Sugarcube? Rainbow was the only one here," Applejack objected.

"It's just that like I said before my throat twitched and that meant Rainbow Dash was here but then after that I started blinking a lot and that meant that somepony else was with her!"

"Well ah don't see anypony else around here, are ye sure Sugarcube?"

"Girls!" Twilight almost shouted "can we please focus on what matters?" Twilight had now lifted Rainbow Dash to just above pony height, but it was taking a lot of focus to keep her there.

"Sorry Twi…" Applejack apologised, before cantering underneath where Rainbow Dash was floating. "Alright Sugarcube, ahm ready." Twilight gently lowered Rainbow Dash onto Applejack's back, and they set off with all due haste.

"Say Applejack did Rainbow have a bandage on her leg this morning?" Twilight asked. "I don't remember this being here."

"She probably just hurt herself training or something," Applejack replied. The three continued back to Ponyville, having no idea of what had truly transpired in the forest.


	2. Chapter 2: From the Shadows

**Chapter 2: From the Shadows**

Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes, and found herself in a rather brightly lit and large room. She also noticed the smell of sterilizer and medicine, which could only mean one thing. She was in a hospital, or more specifically Ponyville clinic. She tried to remember what exactly had happened to her, but fortunately (or not) a fresh stab of pain in her left wing suddenly appeared to remind her. There was her rather spectacular failed attempt at the Sonic Rainboom, and then the dragon, and then… there was the other pony.

Just who was that other pony? She had managed the save Rainbow Dash's life, and yet she knew next to nothing about her, and by the way she dressed she wanted it to stay that way. Rainbow Dash realised that she never even got to see the other pony's cutie mark, which made her wonder what she was going to do if her friends hadn't suddenly shown up. Though in retrospect, that hardly mattered.

Rainbow Dash tried to get up, only for her left wing to start hurting again. It was at this point that she noticed her left wing was covered in a cast, which meant that it would be more difficult to lift her body. Eventually she managed to get herself upright, at which point a nurse came to greet her.

"Oh good, you're awake," the nurse started. "Finally. I'm nurse Redheart."

"What do you mean, 'finally'? Just how long have I been like this?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"About two days I think. It's a good thing your friends found you when they did, or you might not have made it…" Redheart explained.

"Well, it wasn't just them that helped…" Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Anyway, you'll probably want to know about your current condition. Your body has quite severely bruised from your impact against the ground, but that should pass soon enough. However you sustained some more severe injuries to your right foreleg and left wing. You right foreleg was cut pretty deep, but fortunately the wound was sealed up before it could become infected." Rainbow Dash's ears perked up a little.

"Well that doesn't sound so bad…" Rainbow Dash said rather hopefully.

"However, there's much worse. You left wing has been fractured and broken in a number of places. There's no way you can fly in your current state. I'll ju…"

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash practically shouted, which only served to make her wing hurt more. "I…I… I can't give up flying… I just can't." Rainbow Dash was practically beside herself at this point. The thought of not being able to fly was one she just couldn't stand.

"Calm down, please," Redheart insisted. "It's not the end of Equestria just yet. Fortunately Pegasus wings have a way of healing themselves, even from the most critical of injuries. However, something this serious would probably take at least two years for it to fix itself.

"Two years? I don't have two years" Rainbow Dash said, almost desperately. "There's just gotta be another way," she pleaded.

"Well, there is one way, but it's not going to be easy. To fix up damage of that level you would need a magical surgeon. For this kind of procedure it would cost at least five thousand bits," Redhead explained.

"Fuh-Five thousand bits…" Rainbow Dash repeated, completely dumbfounded. She didn't have anywhere near that kind of money. At this point she closed her eyes and wished the whole thing was a dream, but that just wasn't possible. The pain she was feeling in her wing was much too real for that.

"I'm sorry there isn't more I can do for you," Redheart concluded. "I'll get you something to soothe the pain for now."

Redheart left Rainbow Dash alone, and over the next hour her head was brimming with different thoughts, most of them trying to hold back the despair. She had just barely made it out of her accident alive; only to lose what was most important to her. When it came down to it, her wings meant everything to her. Her job on the weather team, her efforts to join the wonderbolts, even her home in the clouds. And now she was going to lose all of it, even if it wasn't forever. It took all she had not to break down in tears.

However, about an hour later Rarity appeared before her. She took one look at Rainbow Dash and had to hold back a gasp.

"Oh my! Just look at you! You look terrible!" Rarity exclaimed. "Oh listen to me, you barely made it and I'm worrying about how you look. Are you quite alright?"

"Not… not really," Rainbow Dash said rather dejectedly.

"Well don't hold it all in, tell me what happened," Rarity asked. Over the next few minutes, Rainbow Dash explained how her attempt at the Sonic Rainboom had gone horribly wrong, how she had been saved from a dragon by a mysterious Pony in black wielding a sword, before being found by her friends. Then she explained about the expensive procedure she would need to be able to fly again for a long time. However, she decided not to mention the role her Anklet had played in the whole thing, especially considering she had lost it.

"Well, that does sound rather dire indeed. Just what are you going to do?" Rarity asked her.

"I… I just don't know. I don't have that kind of money, but I can't live without my wings. I just can't. I don't know what to do." Rainbow Dash finally felt the tears welling up under her eyes. It was too much for Rarity to look at. Finally she mustered up the courage to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes.

"Look, Rainbow darling, I… I might be able to help you." Rarity started slowly, lifting her front hooves up onto the bed. "You know I've been selling my dresses to more well to do clients more recently, and now I have a few bits stored on the side…"

"No," Rainbow Dash Objected. "I can't take that from you. I know how important my wings are, but this is too much, really." In a way, Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she was saying. While she wanted more than anything to be able to fly again, the thought of having someone else pay for her own mistake just didn't feel right.

"Please, Rainbow Dash. I saved this money for an emergency, and I definitely think this qualifies, don't you? Let's not forget what happened at the young flier's competition. If it weren't for those wings of yours, I probably wouldn't even be here…" Rarity trailed off, her eyes now downcast. Rainbow Dash was now completely torn. Deep down she really didn't want Rarity to have to pay, but the more she thought about it the harder it became to say no. Finally, she spoke.

"Alright Rarity, I'll let you pay. But I'm going to pay back every last bit, I swear," Rainbow Dash declared.

"Well, if that's what it takes then so be it. I just want to see you back on your hooves, okay?" Rarity said. Rainbow Dash gave a sweet smile on hearing this. She really did have some great friends. She leant forward so she could hug Rarity, to hay with the not inconsiderable pain it would probably cause to her left wing. They embraced each other for a moment, appreciating their friendship. Just then, Rarity's eyes opened.

"Say Rainbow, whatever happened to the Anklet I gave you?" Rarity suddenly asked. Rainbow Dash's face paled and her whole body suddenly froze. She was probably never going to see it again after what she had done, but in spite of what Rarity had just done for her; Rainbow Dash just couldn't bring herself to tell Rarity what had really happened.

"Well… I guess I uh…" Rainbow Dash stuttered, desperate to say anything besides the truth. Although she had the feeling Rarity would find out sooner or later. "I don't really know," was the best thing that Rainbow Dash could come up with.

"You probably just dropped it during your little…eh…accident," Rarity surmised. "Although now it's in the Everfree forest we may never find it." Rarity put her hoof to her chin and though for a moment, but nothing came to mind. "I guess I'll have to make another one some time. But enough about that, I'll go tell everypony the wonderful news." With that, Rarity turned round to head to the exit.

"Thanks again Rarity. For everything…" Rainbow Dash called out to Rarity as she walked off.

Over the course of the day, Rainbow Dash had gotten visits from almost all of her friends, who had heard the news from Rarity that everything was going to be alright. However, she had made the point of leaving Rainbow Dash to tell the story of how the whole thing had happened, which lead to varying conjecture on who this other Pony she had met in the Everfree forest was.

Twilight Sparkle had been reading in the library all day. She had been meaning to go visit Rainbow Dash after she had heard what happened, but she had gotten so caught up in her studying. It was only after she had gotten dark that Twilight had realised she had lost all track of time. She suddenly panicked on the realisation that she'd completely forgotten about her plans.

"Oh no, Rainbow Dash was probably hoping to see me all day, and now I've missed my chance. Just what kind of friend forgets to go and see her friend when she's in the hospital…?" Twilight was clearly getting worked up, while Spike simply rolled his eyes.

"Look Twi, your friends have forgiven far worse things I'm sure. Just head out there tomorrow and I'm sure you can sort things out. It's not that bad, I promise," Spike tried to explain to her.

"I know Spike, I just wish there was something I could do now to make up for it…" just then, Twilight had an idea. She found some leftover cupcakes she had bought earlier but hadn't eaten, and put them in a spare box she had. She wrapped up the box and put a note on top.

"I don't think the clinic will be open right now…" Spike called out from the upper floor of the library. However, Twilight had already opened the front door, levitating the box of cupcakes with her magic. Apparently her mind had already been made up.

"I might as well try. I should be right back," Twilight called back, closing the door behind her. It was already dark with just a few lights on to guide the way, but Twilight knew the town pretty well. She lit up her horn with her magic, and made her way to the clinic. It was a fairly long distance, but Twilight appreciated getting some fresh air after spending all day cooped up in the library. Finally the clinic came into view. Fortunately for her the lights inside the Clinic were still lit and the front door was unlocked. Twilight slipped through the door and was greeted by a nurse she wasn't familiar with, presumably the one that did the night shift.

"Oh, hello there. I'm afraid visiting hours are up. Could you come back tomorrow?" The nurse asked her. Clearly she was not used to getting visitors at this hour.

"Please just let me drop these off for a minute. It'll only take a minute, I promise…" Twilight pleaded. The nurse sighed. She probably wouldn't be able to get Twilight to go away until she was done, and frankly she didn't want the hassle.  
>"Alright, but you have to be quiet, the patients are probably asleep. Rainbow Dash is in the second ward, third bed along," The nurse explained to her. "And be quick, I'd prefer not to get any complaints."<p>

"Don't worry about me, I'll be right back and no one will know I was there," Twilight assured here, heading into the ward where Rainbow Dash was. The door was slightly ajar, so Twilight slipped in to avoid making any extra noise. The room was almost completely dark, and Twilight didn't want to disturb anypony, so she let her eyes adjust to the dark before proceeding forward. As she came up the where Rainbow Dash was, she noticed something she didn't expect at all. Standing at the end of Rainbow Dash's bed was a pony clad from head to hoof in black. It the complete darkness it had taken a moment for Twilight to make out the other pony, but there was definitely somepony else there, and it didn't look like they belonged here.

"Hey you!" Twilight called out, trying to keep her voice down. The other pony noticed her, and bolted the other way. Before Twilight could wonder how the other pony was going to escape, she jumped out of a window, which by the looks of things had been left open for just such a purpose. Whoever this pony was, Twilight decided she couldn't get away. Twilight focused her magic and teleported to the area she could see from the window, leaving the cupcakes behind. She looked around for where the other pony had run off to.

The other pony had in fact headed straight for the Everfree forest. Her path to freedom however had suddenly been interrupted by Twilight teleporting right in front of her.

"Not so fast. Who are you and just what were you doing in the clinic?" Twilight demanded. The other pony simply cantered around Twilight, clearly unaware that wasn't going to fly with her. Twilight focused her magic and lifted the other pony into the air, much to the other pony's surprise. It was at this point that the other pony gave Twilight a rather harsh glare, and Twilight noticed the pony had brown eyes.

"Let me go right now, I haven't done anything wrong," the other pony demanded, in what was a quite deep, yet feminine voice. It was it this point that Twilight decided to get a better look at her, or at what she could. The other pony's entire body had been clad in black, and Twilight could only see her eyes, and her tail which was just as black as what she was wearing. Twilight also noticed she had a black Saddlebag and something along her back.

"We both know that's not exactly true. I'm pretty sure you didn't have permission to be in the clinic, and I'm going to find out why you were there." Twilight returned to the library, with the other pony in tow of her magic. Twilight closed the door and noticed Spike had gone to sleep since she had left, which was a relief as she preferred him not to see this. It was at this point that Twilight started to feel tired herself. It was late and those last few spells had really taken it out of her.

Twilight moved the stranger into a side room and removed her effects. Then, she put a restraining spell on the other pony, locking her legs together tight.

"I'll be back in the morning," Twilight said with a yawn. "You'd better have some answers ready by then. Twilight left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving the other pony to herself.

The pony in black tried to pull out of the spell that was holding her, but to no avail. Finally she hurled her legs against the floor in frustration. Her legs hit the floor full force, but somehow made virtually no sound, probably due to the magic around her ankles. The pony decided that this was the opportunity she was looking for. Hopefully the spell that was used on her was only meant to work until the morning. She repeatedly hurled her spellbound legs against the floor. It was more difficult than it looked, as she had to balance it just right before throwing her legs against the floor and the spell showed no signs of faltering, while her legs started to feel the strain. It must have been at least an hour of doing the same thing repeatedly, but finally it paid off. The spell started to crackle and the magic around her left foreleg loosened for just a moment, which was all she needed, as she quickly pulled her leg out of the spell, which just left her other three legs. This time, she managed to balance herself on her legs, and used her free leg to hack away at what remained of the spell.

The room only had a small window to illuminate it, so how long the whole endeavour took was unclear. However, two things had become clear over time. The pony's legs had become incredibly sore. But eventually the spell did break, which was just what the mysterious mare had been waiting for. She cautiously walked towards the door and inspected it. Fortunately for her the door didn't have a lock, meaning she wouldn't have any trouble opening it. The mare opened the door and quietly advanced, taking in the surroundings. It was almost completely dark just like the room she came from, and there was no real sound besides some soft snoring. The mare also noticed her saddlebag and her sword were nearby, and wasted no time restoring them to their previous position on herself. Finally, she made her way to what she assumed was the front door. She would have to unlock the door in order to get out, although in fairness her absence would be pretty obvious as it was. She carefully slid the lock open, and carefully turned the handle, swinging the door open without a sound. Finally she ran off, disappearing into the night.

The mysterious mare had decided to leave the Everfree forest. Her last encounter had been too close, and she didn't want to risk getting caught for real next time. She had been sleeping in a small cave in the middle of the forest, having fought off its previous inhabitants. She had been there for a few months, but it seemed that recent events had finally forced her hoof. She had woken up quite a bit later than she would have liked, thanks to her rather slow escape the night before.

She picked up her saddlebag from the night before, as well as her spare one. She would need it for the trip to wherever she went next. Finally, she slipped her katana on. Finally she was ready. Just as she was about to leave, an all too familiar voice stopped her cold.

"Going somewhere?" The mare in black turned to the entrance of the cave, to find Twilight along with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. "You're not getting away this time."

Rainbow Dash woke up in her bed, and once again found a sharp pain in her left wing. By the looks of things the medicine she had taken the day before had worn off, and she would need some more. Just as she was about to call out to a nurse, she noticed something on her bed.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was the Anklet she had dropped in the Everfree, along with a simple note. Rainbow Dash picked up the note:

"_Drop something?_"


	3. Chapter 3: Second Impressions

**Chapter 3: Second Impressions**

The mysterious mare was taken completely by surprise. There was no way these ponies should have been able to find her, unless…

"So, you found me in the space of just a few hours. Impressive," the mare commented, which caused a smirk from Twilight.

"I thought you might try and get away, which is why I took the liberty of leaving you a little parting gift," Twilight explained, as she started to focus her magic. One of the mysterious pony's saddlebags started to move by itself, until a small pink crystal flew out. "This little crystal here reacts to unicorn magic, meaning I can find even if it's miles away. All I had to do was focus on it and it led us right to you."

The mare cursed under her breath. She had been faced with not only a magic user, but an expert. She soon found herself once again being lifted into the air by magic before she could even draw her Katana, and being pulled towards the other ponies. Twilight continued to give the mare an accusatory glare, but Applejack looked at her more thoughtfully.

"Say, doesn't she look a mite familiar Twi?" Applejack asked.

"Woah woah woah… twitchy throat, stiff leg…" Pinkie started, looking deep in thought. Finally she snapped to attention. "I think this was the pony I sensed the other night!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, earning her several confused looks.

"Well ah wouldn't know anythin' about that, but she sounds just like the pony Rainbow told us about…" Applejack said.

"What do you mean? What pony?" Twilight asked.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash didn't tell ya? Some pony in black rescued her when she got hurt," Applejack explained, surprised that she even had to.

"I… I kinda forgot to go see her," Twilight admitted rather sheepishly.

"Twilight, how could ya? Yer friend is in hospital and ya don't even see her? Really now…"

"Yeah I'm sorry, I kinda got a bit side-tracked and… look, we'll sort this out later. Do you really think this pony saved Rainbow Dash? That would cast her actions in a very different light," Twilight asked.

"Well, ah know one way we can find out…" Applejack suggested. It didn't take long for Twilight to catch on.

"Well, if you think so…" Twilight concluded, before turning her attention to the other Pony, who was still floating in the air by her magic. "We're going to see Rainbow Dash, and you're coming with us whether you want to or not," she explained rather flatly.

"I guess I have no choice. Though I would prefer to go there by my own four hooves this time," the mare finally said.

"Fine, but don't think I won't use another restraining spell on you if you try anything. And then I'll have to drag you the rest of the way," Twilight threatened. With that, the four of them headed back out of the Everfree forest and into Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash had only just gotten up, having discovered the Anklet she thought that she would never get to see again. She also discovered the cupcakes that Twilight had intended to give to her, although they had actually been found by the nurse near the doors into the ward, which she had found strange.

However, that was not going to stay a mystery for long. Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie all showed up at the same time which surprised her, as everyone who had seen her the day before had come on their own, while Twilight hadn't shown up at all. Was something going on?

"Hey guys. You're here early. Is something up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, ah think Twilight has something to say to ya first," Applejack said, pushing Twilight forward. Twilight rubbed the back of her head and blushed a little bit.

"Yeah, I should have come to see you yesterday, and I'm really sorry," Twilight said rather gingerly.

"Nah it's cool. We all slip up sometimes," Rainbow dash assured her, remembered how she got there in the first place. "I did like the cupcakes, although you could have left them a little closer to me…"

"Yeah, about that. Rainbow Dash, there's someone I want you to meet." The mare they had brought here had been hiding from Rainbow Dash's view up to this point, but now she slowly cantered forward. Rainbow Dash had to rub her eyes; she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh… Oh my God… is it really you?" Rainbow Dash asked, still in disbelief. There was no mistaking the Black Mane and Tail, along with the Navy Blue coat and the fact she was wearing black over almost her entire body, but Rainbow Dash had never expected to see her again.

"Miss Rainbow Dash is it? It is good to see that you are alright," the mare said rather simply. "It seems that you have some good friends."

"You can say that again…" Rainbow Dash trailed off, before looking back at the mare. "And you can just call me Rainbow Dash, or Dash if you like. Say Twilight, what were you saying about your cupcakes?" Rainbow Dash asked going off on a strange tangent.

"Well, I was going to leave them by your bed when I caught her in here. I kinda dropped the cupcakes and chased after her." Twilight explained, while Rainbow thought about it. "And now I'd like to hear your explanation for what you were doing." Twilight demanded of the mare.

"Oh, that one's easy," Rainbow Dash Interrupted. She then proceeded to show them her left foreleg, where anklet was. "Ta-da!"

"Woah there, you got your anklet back. But how?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"I found it," the mare explained. "Or more appropriately, it fell on me. I had thought it strange at the time, but soon I realised that there was probably only one way I could have found it the way I did. Soon enough I found this place and decided to return it." Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I guess I owe you an apology. I thought you came here to steal something or worse." Twilight explained.

"There is no need to apologise, you did what you thought was right. I acted the way I did because I did not want to be seen…"

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked, genuinely curious. "You're like, the coolest pony ever." The mare was surprised by this.

"You… you don't think I'm creepy? That I'm… weird?" The mare asked. Applejack simply chuckled softly at this.

"Sugarcube, the work 'weird' doesn't mean much 'round these parts," Applejack explained, motioning at Pinkie Pie who was currently sniffing through the air. "Ah think you'll fit right in here in Ponyville."

"You not only saved our friend, you also went out of your way to help return what belonged to her, and that means a lot to us. If there's anything we can do for you, you only have to ask," Twilight reassured her. The mare thought about this.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I think I will be fine. Although I wouldn't mind the chance to meet you all again at some point," the mare replied. At this point Pinkie Pie suddenly perked up.

"You know what this calls for?" Pinkie started. "A p- mmph!" Pinkie tried to finish, before having Applejack's hoof shoved over her mouth. Then Applejack moved over the Pinkie Pie and whispered something into her ear.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said rather enthusiastically once Applejack was done. Then Applejack turned to the mare.

"Say, do ya mind coming to Sweet Apple Acres later on? There's something ah I want to show ya." Applejack asked her.

"Sweet Apple Acres? I assume that's where all the apple trees are," the mare responded, having scouted the town when she was looking for Rainbow Dash.

"It sure as sugar is. Ya mind coming at sundown? It'll be a while before ahm ready." The mare thought for a moment.

"I guess I could, if it's important," the mare replied. She turned and started to leave, but turned to face the other ponies. "Oh, how rude of me. My name's Swiftblade by the way."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle"

"Applejack, at yer service."

"I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Swiftblade nodded to the ponies, and then cantered out of the room.

"So Applejack, Pinkie. Party?" Twilight said, as if she had to ask.

"You betcha." Applejack and Pinkie said in unison.

Swiftblade considered going back into the Everfree forest to put her belongings back, but decided she didn't want to risk missing Applejack's invitation. She made her way to Sweet Apple Acres, and found a large tree on the top of a hill. She placed her back against the tree and started to meditate. She was hoping to have some peace for a few hours, but soon found herself being pestered by a rather high pitched voice.

"Hey, what're y'all doing here? This is Apple Family land, y'know…" Swiftblade opened her eyes, and found herself faced with a yellow filly with a red mane, standing a bit closer to Swiftblade than she might have liked.

"Am I on your land? I'm terribly sorry. It's just that Applejack wanted me to meet her later. So I'm meditating here while I wait," Swiftblade explained to her

"Wait, ya know mah sis? Why didn't ya say so? Ahm Applebloom, by the way."

"Oh, I see. I'm Swiftblade. I take it you live here?" Swiftblade asked.

"Ah sure do. Say, what's that on yer back?" Applebloom ask, reaching for Swiftblade's katana. However, Swiftblade quickly stopped her with her own hoof.

"Don't… touch that. That's not for fillies," Swiftblade explained.

"Awww…" Applebloom moaned. "So what did say you were doing? Mede…medi…"

"Meditating," corrected Swiftblade. "I'm focusing myself. By closing my eyes and centring my mind I can think about things with complete clarity and free from worry."

"Ah see. Hmm… cutie mark crusader meditators?" Applebloom mused to herself. Suddenly she perked up. "Ah gotta go. Thanks Swiftblade!" Applebloom called out while running off.

"You're… welcome?" Swiftblade said, rather confused about what had just happened. Fortunately, she found herself once again with the peace and quiet she desired.

When Swiftblade opened her eyes again, she found the sun already halfway through its descent below the horizon. While Swiftblade wasn't a pony who was quick to panic, she definitely didn't want to be late for her meeting with Applejack, especially as it was starting to get dark. In any other circumstance Swiftblade would have preferred the darkness, but for the first time in a long time she wasn't trying to remain concealed.

Swiftblade hurried to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, where of course Applejack was waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late," Swiftblade announced, coming to a stop. By this point the sun had almost disappeared completely.

"Don't worry Sugarcube. By mah reckoning yer just in time. Now if ya'll just come this way…" Applejack said, leading the way. They walked a fair distance until they came up to a rather large barn.

"So what is it you wanted to me to see anyway?" Swiftblade asked, still having no idea what this whole thing was about.

"Oh, ya'll see. Just go right on in there if ya don't mind." Applejack told her.

Swiftblade slowly walked up to the barn, wondering just what was going on still. The barn was even darker inside than it was outside, and yet Swiftblade could swear that she could hear somepony whispering. As she walked inside and closed the door, suddenly the lights came on.

"SURPRISE!" Everypony besides Swiftblade yelled. There were a lot of ponies gathered inside the barn, not just the ponies she had met earlier. Pinkie Pie also burst a party popper for effect. However, Swiftblade's reaction was not what anypony expected. In a single moment, she had raised herself up onto her hind legs, drawn her katana and taken up a defensive stance having been startled by the sudden noise. When her heart finally slowed down, she finally took in the scene around her. Everypony around her was dead silent, and most of them had looks of shock on their faces, while most of the younger ponies had looks of fear.

Swiftblade couldn't believe what had just happened. Clearly these ponies wanted to be her friend, but in the heat of the moment she had acted like they were enemies. With a regretful look on her face, Swiftblade slipped her katana back into its sheath, and then turned tail and ran, bursting through the doors and right past Applejack. Everypony was still silent at this point, so Applejack finally decided to speak up.

"Ah… Ah'll go talk to her…" Applejack said rather awkwardly, heading out the door in pursuit of Swiftblade.

Swiftblade found her spot where she was meditating not too long beforehand, and simply stared up at the stars, thinking to herself. Was it really not possible for her to have friends? Was she really just a fighter? She wanted deep down to believe it all wasn't true, but from what just happened, maybe it truly was…

"Hey, Sugarcube…" Applejack was standing behind her, much to Swiftblade's surprise. These ponies had a strange knack for finding her when she wanted to be alone…

"You found me already…" Swiftblade said, completely deadpan.

"Well, Applebloom told me she found ya here earlier. To be honest though, I kinda just guessed ya'd be here. Lucky me…"

"Please… just leave me alone," Swiftblade asked, although her voice was sadder than before. "Clearly it's better when nopony knows I exist at all."

"Now how can ya say that? There are many ponies in Equestria, believe me I've met quite a few of them, and not all of them are nice or good, believe me. There are plenty of good ponies around places like this. But in all mah life I've never met a pony as noble as y'all," Applejack tried to assure her.

"You're just saying that…" Swiftblade objected rather weakly.

"No, Ah really mean it. Nopony I know would ever risk her own life to save the life of another pony she's never even met in her life before. I don't think Ah'll ever meet another pony like that. Even if ya don't think so yerself, there's more good in yer heart that most ponies have in their whole bodies, or ever will…"

Swiftblade perked her ears up at this. Her choice to help out Rainbow Dash had come naturally to her, but it clearly meant a lot more to these ponies than even she realised.

"Do you really mean all of that?" Swiftblade now asked, now feeling flattered.

"Ah swear. Everypony still wants to be yer friend, even if ya don't know how…"

"Thanks… thanks Applejack. That means a lot to me. I'm sorry for how I acted earlier," Swiftblade told Applejack.

"Ya don't have to apologise fer being yerself. Just try to avoid bringing yer sword out from now on. Now come on, yer surprise party's not over yet."

"I wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria," Swiftblade assured Applejack, now smiling. "And it's called a katana."

Applejack and Swiftblade headed back to the barn as fast as they could, only to come to a sudden stop right in front of the door.

"Are you sure it's alright?" Swiftblade asked, still unsure after what had happened the last time she went in.

"It'll be fine, ah promise ya. Just step in there and try talking to somepony. Ah'll even back ya up if Ah have to," Applejack assured her.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Thank you again Applejack," Swiftblade said, smiling once more. She slowly opened the door and crept in. Most of the ponies were talking amongst themselves, but stopped talking ounce they saw Swiftblade, resuming the jarring silence that Swiftblade had left the last time, causing her to cringe.

"Come on everypony! That's no way to treat our special guest. Let's partttyyy!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted, before turning some music on. As if by magic, the festivities continued, with everypony returning to their conversations. Just then, Rainbow Dash ran out of the crowd and towards Swiftblade.

"Swiftblade! You made it!" Rainbow Dash called out to her.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash, I wasn't expecting you were. Should you really be walking right now?"

"Well, the doctor said I should be fine for now, and my procedure's not for a few days…"

"Procedure? What do you mean?" Swiftblade asked.

"I'm getting my wing fixed up, it really took a beating from my crash. I may not look it, but I' m the best flier in Ponyville, if not all of Equestria. When I can fly again, I want you to be the first one to see me."

"Well then, I'm looking forward to that, if you really are that good…" Swiftblade said

"Don't worry about that, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed…" Rainbow Dash boasted

"Thanks for coming to talk to me by the way. I feel really strange, being at my own party and yet hardly anypony knows me…" Swiftblade admitted.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I already have that sorted out," Rainbow Dash told her, earning confused look from Swiftblade. "Alright, everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted out. "Gather round, it's time we got started!" Pinkie Pie took the cue and turned the music off. Every other pony gathered around Swiftblade and Rainbow Dash.

"Whu… what's going on?" Swiftblade asked.

"Well, it's _your_ party, so I thought you should introduce yourself. I also kinda promised everypony you'd tell them about how you rescued me…" Rainbow Dash explained, before laughing rather sheepishly. Swiftblade looked around her to the ponies now surrounding her. It was quiet once again, except that this time they had looks of fascination and interest rather than fear. Well, if this really would help…

"Well, my name is Swiftblade if you didn't know," Swiftblade started, before rising on to her hind legs. "My story begins in the Everfree forest. I was practising when I heard a loud sound, which I went to investigate…" Swiftblade proceeded to explain her finding Rainbow Dash, the confrontation with the young dragon and the ensuing fight. On Applejack's advice, she decided not to use her katana to help her narrate her story, instead simply miming her swings. She finally ended the story with the dragon fleeing. "…and that's how I helped out Rainbow Dash." The ponies around her gave Swiftblade applause for her story, much to her surprise. As the music came back on, most of the ponies to their own conversations, while some of them came to talk to Swiftblade personally, many of them wishing they could have seen her fighting themselves. Just then, she was approached by Twilight.

"Well, that was some story…" Twilight admitted. "I already heard it from Rainbow Dash of course, but I think she exaggerated it a bit. I'm pretty sure your version was closer to the real thing."

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Swiftblade responded.

"Say Swiftblade, do you mind telling me what you're doing in the Everfree forest anyway? I don't know of many ponies that willing go into the Everfree forest, let alone stay there," Twilight asked.

"That's a pretty long story. In short, I'm a pony from the Mareamasa clan, and I'm currently in training. I plan to return when I feel I'm ready," Swiftblade explained.

"So you're training yourself away from your home? I think I can relate to that. So why haven't I ever heard of or seen any Mareamasa pony before? I haven't even seen them in any of my books either," Twilight asked her. Swiftblade simply stood there, trying to think of an answer.

"Well… you see most of the ponies from my clan don't come to Equestria to hone their skills. There are other lands out there that are more dangerous than Equestria, although that was not what I wanted. While Equestria does have its own dangers, there are many peaceful places as well. I believe having a calm mind is essential to being able to defend yourself, and become one with your blade," Swiftblade explained.

"Well I hope I can learn some more from you. I know I already have…" Twilight told her.

"Really? What do you mean?" Swiftblade asked her.

"Today I learned that everypony has goodness in their hearts, even if it's hard for us to see. All we have to do is believe in that good and even the most distant of ponies can become our friends," Twilight recited. "Now, why don't we get back to the party?"

"Sounds good to me," Swiftblade responded. With that, they partied well into the night.

_Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away_

"Officer! We've just received a letter," a messenger announced.

"A letter? What are you talking about; we've never received a letter since our ancestors came here. Nopony should even know we're here."

"That's just it; the letter wasn't from a pony, but a dragon." The officer pondered. There might have been a dragon that remembered them, but what would a dragon want?

"Very well, let's see this letter then. I pray for your sake this isn't a waste of time." The messenger hoofed over the parchment, and the officer read it carefully.

"Let's see… how interesting… WHAT?" the officer shouted. "Ugh, who the hay…" The officer thought for a moment. "This could be a real problem. We have to deal with this, but quickly and quietly. Get somepony to dispatch this rogue, and make sure lord Shoku knows about this."

"Yes, sir!"


	4. Chapter 4: Blade to Blade

**Chapter 4: Blade to Blade**

A few days had passed since the surprise party in Sweet Apple Acres, and for a short while Swiftblade's exploits had become the talk of Ponyville. Normally, she would prefer not to have that much attention on her, but knowing that other ponies truly appreciated what she had done felt good to Swiftblade. However, one of Ponyville's residents, Fluttershy, was having some trouble warming up to her. Swiftblade was hardly surprised, considering she carried her katana with her wherever she went, but since Fluttershy was friends with Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow Dash, Swiftblade decided it was probably at least worth trying to reach out to her. Fortunately the perfect opportunity had come on this particular day.

Swiftblade steeled her nerves, and knocked on the door of Fluttershy's house. It didn't take that long for her to answer, but as soon as Fluttershy noticed Swiftblade, she backed away like she always did. However, this time Swiftblade was prepared.

"Listen Fluttershy, I need your help," Swiftblade started, to which Fluttershy could only respond with incoherent squeaking. "I was in the Everfree today, which I found this poor creature that seems to have gotten itself hurt. Your friends tell me you're good with this kind of thing." Swiftblade reached around and lifted a squirrel off of her back , and showed it to Fluttershy. It was still alive, but clearly suffering. Fluttershy's eyes lit up at the sight of it.

"Oh my… you look awful… don't worry though, I'll make everything better, I promise," Fluttershy said as she picked up the squirrel and closed the door, causing Swiftblade to sigh heavily. So much for that plan. However, Fluttershy opened the door again a moment later.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to come in?" Fluttershy offered.

"I wouldn't mind…" Swiftblade responded, cantering inside and closing the door. Fluttershy flew around the house, trying to help out the squirrel that Swiftblade had shown her moments ago. Swiftblade herself was busy taking in the house. It certainly was a house like no other, riddled with all manner of homes for the animals crawling around. Finally, Fluttershy came up to Swiftblade.

"Well, I think he's going to be just fine, just a little sprained ankle. Thank goodness you found him when you did, or he might not have made it…" Fluttershy explained.

"I'm just glad I could help somehow. I don't know anything about taking care of animals."

"That's quite alright. You know, I always thought you were out there in the Everfree forest hurting the poor creatures with your sword," Fluttershy told her.

"That isn't true at all," Swiftblade objected. "I do not simply go around hunting animals. I have used my katana to repel some of the more dangerous creatures out there, but I never hurt innocent animals, and I have never used my blade to take a life, big or small."

"Oh… really? Then why use something some dangerous?" Fluttershy asked.

"A katana is more than just a weapon, you see. It is a fine piece of craftponyship, a true work of art. One that can be used to help protect and save lives. Just like I did with Rainbow Dash. I could not have saved her life without my blade," Swiftblade explained.

"I never thought about it that way. I'm sorry I didn't speak to you sooner, Fluttershy said apologetically.

"It is no problem. To be honest I did not think much of what you do. I see now how much it means to you. If nothing else, you should do what you love. I'm glad we had this chance to understand each other," Swiftblade said, now smiling.

"Oh, me too. Please do come back if any other animals need my help, ok?" Fluttershy said sweetly.

"Don't worry I will. I hope we can speak again soon," Swiftblade said, heading back out of the door. She decided to head back into the Everfree forest, as she had not completed her training for the day. As she headed through the trees, Swiftblade heard distant rustling, which struck her as strange, since there wasn't any wind, nor was there anypony or anything else nearby. She proceeded further into the forest, only to hear it again. Swiftblade was now getting suspicious. If it was some kind of creature she was hearing, it would most likely have attacked by now. Swiftblade stopped momentarily. Then, it happened.

Something came flying Swiftblade's way, leaving her just enough time to duck her head out of the way. When she heard it land, Swiftblade looked up to see what it was. At there, lodged in a tree just in front of her was a shuriken. Swiftblade's eyes widened and she rolled just in time to avoid another one that came flying her way. Whoever was attacking her knew what they were doing.

Swiftblade broke out into a run, dodging several more shurikens that came flying her way. One however, clipped her on the cheek, causing a small amount of blood to come out. Swiftblade was now taking hits, and she still had no idea who her attacker was, other than the fact it was probably another pony. However, Swiftblade finally found what she was looking for: a large clearing in the forest. Once she had made it into the clearing, Swiftblade suddenly turned around, sliding to a halt and drawing her katana. A kunai came flying her way, but Swiftblade deflected it with her blade.

"Come out _now_ you coward," Swiftblade demanded out loud. "Or are you too afraid to fight me hoof to hoof?"

"And what makes you think I'm afraid?" A voice called out. Just then, a pony stepped out from the trees. It was a colt, carrying a katana similar to Swiftblade herself, although unlike Swiftblade he was not wearing anything else. He had a dark red coat, a grey mane and a cutie mark of a shuriken, which removed any doubt from Swiftblade's mind that this colt was her assailant. He also had a smirk on his face that she found grating. "A little far from Shiponi Island, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Swiftblade retorted. "Where I choose to hone my skills is no concern of yours."

"Except we both know that's not true at all. In fact, I've been sent to kill you because you've decided to share our secrets with a bunch of worthless commoners."

"I'm surprised a warrior like you can be so callous. Just how do you find out about me anyway?" Swiftblade demanded.

"Oh, let's just say a little birdie told us. Or rather, a dragon…" Swiftblade's face went pale as she suddenly realised what had happened. The dragon she had fought not too long ago… it must have known another dragon, one that knew about the Mareamasa clan, which had then gone on to tell them about her. Swiftblade was now starting to regret fighting off that dragon at all.

_No, _Swiftblade thought to herself. _You did the right thing, saving the life of a fellow pony. Now you have friends as a result. Except now you may not have much longer to enjoy them…_

"My name is Swiftblade," Swiftblade declared, raising to her hind legs and taking up a fighting stance. "And if you want to kill me, you'll have to get through my blade first." The colt simply widened his smirk, assuming a similar fighting position.

"You don't need to know my name. All you need to know is that my face is the last you'll ever see," the colt boasted. Swiftblade now grimaced at the colt's insufferable arrogance as they locked blades.

The fight started slowly as the pair exchanged swings, both of them trying to find an opening in their respective opponents' stances. The colt launched an attack first, but only managed to make a tear in Swiftblade's black clothing. In turn, Swiftblade swung her blade at the colt while he was pulling his blade back, clipping him on the shoulder.

"That makes us one-for-one," Swiftblade said, still remembering the cut on her cheek. "You'll have to do better than that if you want to kill me." This served to make the colt's attacks more fast and furious, although Swiftblade simply blocked each attack, before following up with a parry on one of the colts more forceful swings, giving her the chance to land another small slash, this time on the colt's stomach.

"Your attacks are strong, but clumsy," Swiftblade explained to him. "Where is your arrogant smirk now?" Sure enough, the colt was now grimacing as he had failed to land any hits on Swiftblade with his katana.

"That's…not…going… to work!" the colt suddenly snapped. Suddenly he started to regulate his breathing, before launching a more focused volley of attacks against Swiftblade. "You think you can use my temper against me? Not bad, but it's not going to work anymore." The two fighters now exchanged attacks, each landing the occasional hit against each other. Swiftblade realised that while she could swing her blade faster than this colt, he obviously had more experience fighting an armed opponent.

The fight raged on for a few more minutes, to the point where both Swiftblade and the colt had started to become exhausted. Their blades had continued to clash throughout the entire time, however, it was Swiftblade that was the only one to actually take any hits during this time, her clothes starting to become quite badly torn. Finally, a powerful swing from the colt knocked Swiftblade over onto her side, and the colt followed up with a thrust on Swiftblade's flank, and managed to sink the blade in about an inch before Swiftblade could roll away. The pain from the wound burned away at her flank, but Swiftblade knew she just couldn't give up, not after everything she'd been through.

Swiftblade managed to swagger back on to her back hooves and faced her opponent once more. The colt's arrogant smirk had once again returned.

"Give up yet? Maybe now you'll realise you just can't win," the colt said in a rather condescending manner. Swiftblade still couldn't stand it, but she knew her chances were slim at this point. She placed both of her hooves on her katana, only then to place her left hoof on her head, now struggling to keep her balance.

"You really want to keep-" the colt started, only to realise too late what had happened. Swiftblade's hoof on her head had just been an act, making herself look like she was too weak to keep fighting. In that moment the Colt had become distracted by his supposed victory, which was all Swiftblade needed. She grabbed her katana with both of her hooves once again and swung at the colt with all of her remaining strength. The colt tried to avoid the attack, but it was too late. Swiftblade's katana went right across the colt's forelegs, landing a pretty deep slash on each one. The colt recoiled from the sudden pain, and dropped his own Katana, now no longer able to grip it with all the blood he was now losing.

The colt was now on the ground, unable to get back up. Swiftblade propped his katana up on a rock, and then kicked it as hard as she could with her foreleg. After the fifth hit, the blade finally snapped.

"You… you cheated…" the colt objected.

"Cheated? I… was fighting for my life. Whether I not I was "cheating" is of no concern.

"So what now?" the colt asked Swiftblade. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"

"Why should I? I'm not as barbaric or callous as you are," explained Swiftblade. "And killing you won't accomplish anything.

"And how do you know I won't just come after you again?" The colt insisted.

"And how do you plan to do that in your condition… and without a katana?" Swiftblade asked. "Your blade is broken, and I seriously doubt your set of Shurikens could finish me off." With that, Swiftblade turned and started limping in the other direction.

"Wait!" The colt called out. "My… my name is Shadow Star. I just thought… you deserved to know."

"So, now you respect me…" Swiftblade murmured to herself. She headed out through the forest, shortly before realising she had no idea what to do. She had survived the fight, but had taken a lot of damage for it. The wound on her flank in particular was really starting to bleed, and there was no way she could tend to it on her own.

Swiftblade desperately forged forward, hoping she could find a way out of the forest before she succumbed to her wounds. It was getting increasingly difficult, as her hind legs started to go numb, and her vision started swimming. She wasn't even sure what was in front of her any more… was that a house? Finally, it got to the point where her legs could no longer support the weight of her body, and she collapsed.

Swiftblade woke up some time later, to some kind of smell she couldn't even recognise. When she actually opened her eyes, it didn't get much better. There were a number of masks hanging of the walls, as well as a number of other objects hanging from the ceiling. There was also something bubbling in cauldron in the middle of the room. Swiftblade tried to recall what had happened before she had passed out. She remember seeing some sort of house… of course, this _was_ the house she had seen, except for the inside. Swiftblade remembered Twilight telling her somepony else lived out in the Everfree forest, except it wasn't exactly a pony.

Swiftblade climbed out of the bed she was in, and noticed that a lot of her body was covered in bandages. Although that was hardly surprising, given the injuries she had sustained in her fight. Her flank still hurt a lot, but at least it wasn't bleeding any more. Still it made it quite a bit harder for her to walk around. Swiftblade then realised something else: her effects were missing. She was about to fly into a panic, when she realised that nopony else was around. That being said, whoever had tended to her wounds must have seen her without any clothes on. Fortunately for her, Swiftblade soon found her clothes, hung up on the other side of the room. It was still a bit damp, and had a growing collection of holes in it from her recent encounters, but Swiftblade felt infinitely more comfortable with it on.

Just then, a cloaked figure walked in through the door, and spotted Swiftblade.

"It is good to see you are finally awake, I did not know how long it would take…" the cloaked figure said. Swiftblade was confused by this.

"Wait, how long it would take… just how long have I been out anyway?" Swiftblade asked.

"You see, you gave me quite the fright, when I found you near my home last night."

"Wait a minute… speaking in rhymes… you're Zecora, aren't you? Swiftblade asked. "Twilight told me about you…"

"I see you have been informed well," Zecora started, removing her cloak. "Now tell me, how into a coma you fell."

"I… got into a fight. With a bear…" Swiftblade quickly fabricated. However, Zecora simply shook her head.

"Your wounds were not of tooth, nor claw. To your injuries I know there is more," Zecora explained. Clearly she was more perceptive than Swiftblade expected.

"You saw right through me…" Swiftblade admitted. "But I'm afraid I cannot tell you the truth of how this happened. I'm really sorry."

"Do not worry; I am on your side, even with all that you choose to hide."

"Thank you Zecora. Wait, just how much of me did you see?" Swiftblade suddenly asked, remembered that she had only just put her clothes back on.

"Of your body, I saw the whole; but I will not tell another soul," Zecora assured her. "After all the time asleep you have stayed, I think that you should eat, Swiftblade." Zecora went over to the simmering cauldron in the middle of the room.

"Alright… wait, how do you know my name?" Swiftblade said, realising that she had never mentioned it over the course of their conversation.

"Twilight has already told me about you, so I knew your name, and what it is you do," Zecora explained. "You should be careful about fighting and strife, or you may soon come to the end of your life." Those words hit Swiftblade hard, considering what had just happened. And now that she had chosen not to kill her assailant, there would probably be more ponies coming after her soon, maybe even stronger and more dangerous than the last one.

"Ah, my stew is now complete," Zecora announced. "For now, it would be best of you to eat." Zecora scooped a bowl of the stew and offered it to Swiftblade. Swiftblade realised that the stew was probably what was causing the room to smell like it did, and it smelled even stranger up close. However, it would be rude to refuse it, especially after all Zecora had done for her, not to mention the fact it had been quite a long time since she had eaten, and her stomach wasn't afraid to tell her that. She took a small spoonful and tasted it. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before, and yet it was pretty good. It had a spicy, yet manageable flavour to it. Swiftblade wasted no time digging into the rest of it. Soon enough, she had eaten every last drop of it.

"Thank you Zecora, that was delicious," Swiftblade said.

"It is a family recipe, which I like to use. You may have more if you so choose." It was a big cauldron. Swiftblade accepted the offer, and went straight to work on the second helping. It wasn't as good as the first, mainly because her stomach was no longer growling. However, Swiftblade had no trouble finishing it off.

"Well, I think I've had just about had enough. Thank you again for everything. If there's anything I can do for you, you only need ask," Swiftblade promised.

"There is no need to make such a fuss. Perhaps there are things you are willing to discuss?" Zecora asked. Swiftblade simply nodded to this, and with this the two talked about where they came from, their own experiences and how they got to where they were. However, like the cause of her recent injuries Swiftblade was unwilling to talk about her distant past. After a while, it was starting to get dark.

"I feel I must take my leave now. I hope we can talk again soon," Swiftblade said, picking up her Katana and leaving through the door. After she had made it a short way into the forest, Swiftblade let out a sigh. Unfortunately, Swiftblade had no such plans, as she felt she had to leave the Everfree forest as soon as she could. Her current injuries made her unfit to travel, so she would have to wait. She would also have to tell her friends that she had to leave and probably never come back, which she wasn't looking forward to. She would probably leave it until the last minute, so she didn't have any second thoughts.

"My lord, I'm afraid I have bad news…" The officer started, not looking forward to this.

"It's Shadow Star. He failed his mission, didn't he. I told you he wasn't a good choice," Lord Shoku said angrily.

"I'm afraid it's not just that. I had him make a report on what happened. You'll want to take a look at this," the officer explained, holding out a piece of paper. Lord Shoku took the paper and scanned it over.

"Yes… this is as bad as I feared. We have to take further action immediately. Call for Wisegard immediately."

"Of course sir," the officer said before bowing and leaving. It was just 3 minutes before Wisegard appeared before Lord Shoku.

"You called for me, my lord." Wisegard announced, bowing her head.

" Yes, that's right. I take it you're aware of the current problem we're having right now," Lord Shoku started, the report from before still in his hoof.

"I have heard of it, although I do not know the details," Wisegard explained. Shoku gave her the report to read.

"I'm putting the resolution of this matter into your capable hooves. All the information you need in the report. I shouldn't need to tell you that we can no longer afford to take any chances. You are to put a permanent stop to this, by any means necessary,"

"It will be done, my lord," Wisegard assured him, before taking her leave.


	5. Chapter 5: Thicker than Water

**Chapter 5: Thicker than Water**

Twilight had been spending the last hour checking through the books in the library, to see if there were any she still hadn't read yet. She wasn't expecting to find much if anything at all, as she had checked more than once before. Just as she was about to give up, she noticed a book on the table in the corner that she didn't recognise. She pulled it in closer with her telekinetic magic to get a better look. She noticed there were no words on the front cover of the book, just an intricate emblem, depicting a shield with a Mare and a Colt, each wielding a katana. Then it occurred to Twilight where the book had come from.

The night she had found Swiftblade in the hospital, Twilight had looked through Swiftblade's saddlebag before placing the tracer crystal inside. She had left this book on a table before going to bed for the night, and had completely forgotten about it after she discovered Swiftblade was no longer in the library and left in hot pursuit. Twilight skimmed through the book; it detailed ways to fight, both unarmed and with various weapons, in addition to a series of fighting philosophies. Twilight was tempted to read it fully, but she knew the book wasn't hers, and Swiftblade might not want her reading it. She would have to ask Swiftblade when she had a chance, or at least return it.

Just then, Twilight's chain of thought was interrupted when the door burst open, and Rainbow Dash rushed in.

"Oh, hello there Rainbow Dash. I can't remember the last time you used the door like everypony else," Twilight said, laughing a little to herself.

"Well, don't get too used to it…" Rainbow Dash chimed in, flexing her wings. It was true; Rainbow Dash didn't have long left until she was able to fly again, as her procedure had been a success. It wasn't a moment too soon for her.

"You can fly again tomorrow right?" Twilight asked, just for the sake of confirming it.

"Hay yeah!" Rainbow Dash explained. "Actually, that's why I'm here. Have you seen Swiftblade around lately? I promised her I'd show her some of my neat tricks once I could fly again…"

"Can't say I have. In fact, I don't think anypony's seen her for a few days. Actually, I was hoping I could have a word with her myself," Twilight explained.

"You're right; nopony in town has seen her in days… ugh. I guess she's probably training hard in the Everfree or something. Just let me know if you see her or anything…"

"Will do," Twilight assured her, as Rainbow Dash made her way out, leaving Twilight with her books again. She spent another hour sifting through the shelves of books, before her attention finally settled back on the book she had taken from Swiftblade. It was now getting increasingly tempting for her to start reading it, even if she didn't have permission to do so. Just as she was about to lift it up, a knock came at the door. Twilight opened the door, only to find Swiftblade standing there; only she wasn't her usual self. She looked wearier than usual, and her clothes had gotten a few more tears in it. It looked like it wasn't going to last much longer. There were also some bandages underneath, which suggested that something had happened out in the Everfree Forest.

"Swiftblade? I wasn't expecting to see you. Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about…"

"I'm afraid I have something more serious to discuss…" Swiftblade started. "Would you mind walking with me? This is very important."

"Sure I guess… but there's something I wanted to ask you about…" Twilight murmured, reluctantly walking along with Swiftblade. They headed into town, towards the fountain.

"I'm afraid I can no longer stay around here in Ponyville…" Swiftblade announced, although rather discreetly. She didn't want to attract any undue attention.

"But, why? Everything was fine a few days ago…" Twilight asked, although secretly she was sure that it had something to do with the current state that Swiftblade was in.

"I'm afraid I cannot explain it. It's to do with some… ponial problems."

"But you have friends here. Anyway, Rainbow Dash told me she wanted you to see her flying tricks. Don't you want to at least stay for that?"

"I'm sure I will be able to see her perform some day. Maybe when she becomes a Wonderbolt?" Swiftblade mused while smiling, though the smile looked more regretful than anything else. "Although I cannot tell you why, it would be best for you if I left now. Please understand, Twilight.

"But… but…" Twilight stammered. "Is it me? It's got to be me, hasn't it? I'm sorry about how I treated you when I saw you, okay? You really looked like…"

"Please, Twilight…" Swiftblade cut her off. "It's nopony's fault except my own. I promise you one day I'll be able to explain this to you, but for now just let me go."

Before Twilight could object again, something caught Swiftblade's eye. There was something small and white headed their way. By the looks of things it was just a rabbit, but it was going faster than either of them had ever thought possible.

"Oh, hello Angel…" Twilight said. "What are you doing here? Where's Fluttershy?" Angel simply waved his paw, which seemed to be carrying a piece of paper. "You want us to read it?" On any other day, that question would have earned in indignant look on Angel's face, where it unfolded on the ground in front of her, revealing a message.

_Swiftblade_

_Yes, I know who you are. I also have your friend on the outskirts of this town. If you don't want her to get hurt, I suggest you come here immediately, and on your own. You have until the end of the day. If anypony else comes with you or you are not there by sundown, there will be consequences._

Swiftblade's heart skipped a beat. It had been even worse than she had feared. By the looks of things, running away was no longer an option. Twilight took a look at the note, and was left speechless for a moment. Not only was one of her best friends in danger, it had also finally dawned on her what Swiftblade was talking about earlier. Swiftblade just looked at Twilight rather morbidly, afraid of what she might say. Finally, Swiftblade decided to break the silence herself.

"Looks like it's too late…" Swiftblade said, with a sigh. "I can no longer run away from this."

"Why? Why didn't you tell about this?" Twilight demanded. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Swiftblade had seen Twilight irritated before, but never this much. Not that she could blame her, with Fluttershy now in danger.

"I was afraid… afraid that you would all hate me. I knew it was wrong, but it's too late now. I have to face up to this."

"You… you can't do this!" Twilight objected. "Do you know what they'll do to you if you do go? Even if you did lie you're still my friend. I'm sure we can think of something…"

"NO!" Swiftblade snapped, before calming herself. "This is my responsibility. I will not have anypony else's blood on my hooves, least of all _hers_."

"But what are you going to do? You can't possibly fight, not the way you are right now." Twilight argued.

"That's my problem, not yours…" Swiftblade concluded rather dismissively. "Goodbye Twilight. Tell everypony I'm sorry for everything." Swiftblade ran off in the direction of Fluttershy's house, leaving Twilight at a loss for words.

Swiftblade galloped as fast as she could. Her wounds from before were still aching, but she refused to let it slow her down. She also ignored her garbs, which were slowly but surely starting to fall apart. It hardly mattered now. Swiftblade finally approached the outside of the house, which at first glance didn't look any different from when she visited the last time. However, Swiftblade quickly discerned something very off from the last time she visited: the lack of noise. Normally the place would be swarming with all manner of small woodland creatures, but today is was dead silent. Clearly something had happened here.

Finally, the door to the house came open. Fluttershy slowly came out, but clearly she was beside herself with fear. Swiftblade could tell she wanted to run or fly away, but soon the reason she couldn't became apparent. There was another mare holding a katana just like Swiftblade's to her throat. She also had a Sheath on a belt just like Swiftblade, but unlike Swiftblade she was also adorned with a small golden crest, with a coat of turquoise and a mane of dark red, although clearly this pony was much older than Swiftblade as the colour in her mane was starting to fade.

"Well, you got here sooner than I expected," the mare announced, keeping her grip on Fluttershy.

"I could say the same…" Swiftblade retorted.

"Well, we couldn't have you running off now could we?" the mare explained. "After Shadow Star failed at his attack, I knew I had to act quickly. It looks like he was of some use after all." The moment was now too much for Fluttershy, as tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Let her go, _now._" Swiftblade demanded.

"Oh don't you worry, she'll be fine. You just have to surrender to me and we can pretend this never happened." The mare told Swiftblade.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple," Swiftblade objected, unsheathing her Katana." I'm not going down without a fight."

"I'm afraid you're not in a position to be making demands," the mare replied.

"But it's not a demand, it's a challenge. Surely the lieutenant of the Mareamasa clan isn't backing down from a challenge?"

"What… how do you know who I am?" the mare demanded. Swiftblade paled for a moment, before composing herself.

"The crest you're wearing. It's the mark of Mareamasa's greatest warrior, is it not?" Swiftblade said.

"Well, it seems you're quite well informed. But if you really know who I am, then you should realised that it is you who should be backing down. This is a crest that I have worn for over ten years."

"I'm well aware…" Swiftblade started. "Yet, my challenge stands. I have my reasons… the first one being that you chose to threaten my friend."

"If this is what you want so badly… then I will fight you. But know two things: you have no chance of winning, least of all the way you are. If you try to run, I will hunt your friends down, and then I'll come for you…" the mare stated flatly.

"I'm not going anywhere…" Swiftblade boldly stated, taking up her usual stance. The other mare released Fluttershy and took up a stance similar to Swiftblade's. Fluttershy ran the moment she had the chance and went behind Swiftblade.

"I… I'm sorry… "Fluttershy stuttered, tears still in her eyes. "Please, don't do this."

"I'll be alright, I promise." Swiftblade assured her. "Please, just go…" It was obvious that Swiftblade was lying through the teeth, but deep down she knew this was the only way. Fluttershy simply nodded and flew away. Swiftblade turned to her opponent.

"Are you ready to fight, Swiftblade?" the mare asked.

"Ready when you are… Wisegard," Swiftblade responded, which clearly threw her opponent off. Clearly she had no idea how Swiftblade knew her name.

However, it didn't take long for Wisegard to regain her composure. Before Swiftblade could even think about how to fight, Wisegard had already lunged forward for an attack, leaving Swiftblade with next to no time to react. Swiftblade just about managed to block the attack, but then Wisegard used the opening to land a kick on Swiftblade's hind legs. Swiftblade responded with a flurry of swings, only to have each attack blocked with little effort.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you expect to last against me…" Wisegard boasted. Swiftblade lunged forward, rolling past Wisegard and attempting a swing at her back. Wisegard was already prepared for this, having her blade against her back to block the attack. Swiftblade swung her blade at the other side of Wisegard's back, only to have Wisegard turn around and parry the attack, before landing a hit with her blade on Swiftblade's face. Despite her continued efforts, Swiftblade failed to land a single hit on Wisegard, while Wisegard continued to clip Swiftblade time and time again.

Swiftblade stepped back, desperately trying to figure out what to do. She was going to lose at this rate for sure. How could she win when she couldn't even land a single attack? Wisegard was just too fast for her, and seemed to be able to predict her every move. Her own injuries didn't help, as they served to constantly distract her. She had to fight by different rules if she was to have any chance.

Wisegard came in fast once again, only this time Swiftblade was ready. Wisegard swiped her blade at Swiftblade's hind legs, only for Swiftblade to jump over it. Then Swiftblade lunged around Wisegard, landing a hit on her right shoulder. Swiftblade turned back expecting another attack, only to find her opponent bleeding more profusely than either of them expected. Swiftblade had cut Wisegard deeper than Swiftblade had realised, and now Wisegard had a frown, clearly not expecting to take a hit like that. Swiftblade now knew that while her opponent still probably had the upper hoof, Wisegard wasn't as infallible as she had first appeared.

"So, you changed your tactics in a single moment…" Wisegard mused, now smiling again. Suddenly Swiftblade didn't feel so confident. It was like Wisegard knew her every move, which shouldn't have surprised her.

Wisegard jumped into the air, spinning around and bucking Swiftblade full force with her hind legs. Swiftblade was sent rearing back, the air knocked out of her lungs. Swiftblade tried to regain her composure, but by this point it was too late. Wisegard had already landed firmly on her hooves and acted on her attack. She rushed forward with her blade and slashed Swiftblade across her chest and forelegs. The blade cut right through the belt of Swiftblade's sheath causing it to fall to the ground, and the front of her garbs, putting them on the brink of falling off. Worst of all it cut right into Swiftblade's flesh. Fortunately for her the blade hadn't managed to puncture her lung, but the wound started to seriously bleed. Swiftblade felt the strength draining from her forelegs. She could no longer grip her katana, causing it to fall to the ground. Swiftblade could no longer keep her balance, first stumbling backwards, before falling forward onto all of her hooves. Swiftblade's injury was so bad she could no longer stand, causing her body to fall to the ground, still bleeding. Wisegard stood over her.

"It's a shame things had to go this way. Under different circumstances you could have been a fine warrior," Wisegard declared, preparing to finish off Swiftblade.

"You have no idea…" Swiftblade said angrily, trying to focus on Wisegard.

"Just who are you anyway? And how do you know my name?" Wisegard demanded. Swiftblade simply gave a harsh, derisive laugh.

"You… you still don't remember do you?" Swiftblade said, but with even more difficulty than before. Wisegard simply gave her a confused look. Suddenly, what remained of Swiftblade's garbs flew apart, revealing the secrets Swiftblade had hidden underneath. She had no cutie mark and a scar just in front of her left flank. But the most remarkable thing of all was the pair of Pegasus wings that Swiftblade had used to launch her garbs off. "There. _Now _do you remember? Do you remember the filly you had the…the misfortune of bringing into this world?" Wisegard's eyes widened, and she reared back a couple of steps. It took Wisegard a moment, but soon her expression had changed from confidence to horror.

"But that's not possible…" Wisegard Stammered. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Say anything?" Swiftblade stuttered, now finding it more difficult to breathe. "What good would that do? Nothing I said to you ever mattered. Nothing I did ever mattered to you. All… all that ever mattered to you was that I wasn't good enough for you, nor would I ever be." Tears came out of Swiftblade's eyes, which only served to make her wounds sting.

"So when you said you had your reasons…" Wisegard inquired.

"That's right. I wanted to show you. Show you I could be good enough, even with these damn things. But it's too late for that now. Maybe you were right after all. I'm not good enough." Swiftblade said, in a mix of sadness and anger. "Aren't you going to finish me off? Put an end to both of our suffering…"

Wisegard's blade now started to shake in her hooves, and she felt a few tears of her own welling up. She sheathed her katana, and then proceeded to pick up Swiftblade's sheath off of the ground, along with Swiftblade's katana, which was now covered in Swiftblade's blood. She tucked it into her own sheath and ran off into the Everfree forest.

Swiftblade woke up and found herself in a strange place. It was a place of pure white wherever she looked, and devoid of anything else. After a short time she realised that the whiteness was starting to fade, causing everything to slowly darken. She also noticed her injuries and her effects were missing. Just where was she?

"_You're inside your own subconscious… _" a voice resonated, from seemingly nowhere.

"Who was that? And what do you mean, subconscious?" Swiftblade demanded. It seemed crazy to her, shouting out to voice in her head. Just then, a figure appeared before her. It appeared to be a light blue ghost, and looked almost exactly like Swiftblade, except with stubs where Swiftblade's wings were.

"_You can think of me as your conscience if you like…_" the figure explained. Swiftblade remained incredulous.

"So… you're me? But you can't be me… your wings…" Swiftblade trailed off.

"_You could say I'm a reflection of you on the inside. Your thoughts, your feelings, your desires…_" Swiftblade cringed at this, but it was true. She had hated her wings all of her life.

"So what happens now?" Swiftblade asked, noticing that everything around them was slowly getting darker.

"_By the looks of things, you might be coming to the end of your life," _the figure explained to her.

"_That would explain everything going black, but why am I here anyway_?" Swiftblade thought to herself.

"_I guess the rest is up to you."_

"What? What do you mean up to me?" Swiftblade demanded "I can't just wish my injuries away.".

"_A true warrior dies on her own terms. Don't you remember that? You can either keep fighting, or you can give up, in which case the darkness will consume this place. Are you really ready to die, Swiftblade?_"

"Iguess I have no regrets. After all, I died fighting for my friends."

"_That's not what I asked you. I want to know if you really want to die,_" the figure explained rather impatiently. Swiftblade thought it would be a tough question, but the truth of the matter was there was only one answer she could give.

"I… I don't want to die…" Swiftblade said, now feeling remorseful. The darkness continued to envelop everything, now making it more difficult for Swiftblade to see the figure. "I want to see my friends again. I want to tell them I'm sorry, tell them I'm thankful they chose to be my friends…"

"_And why is that exactly?_" the figure asked, as if it even needed to know. However, it took Swiftblade a moment to say it, having to stop herself from bursting into tears again.

"Because… because… because I care about them, more than I even realised! More than anything!" Swiftblade shouted. The figure finally gave Swiftblade a smile. Just then, a bright light appeared right above Swiftblade, expanding rapidly and driving back the darkness.

"_It looks like you've been given a second chance. Remember to use it wisely…_" the voice said, as everything fell out of Swiftblade's focus as the light now blinded her.


	6. Chapter 6: These Broken Wings

**Chapter 6: These Broken Wings**

_Ponyville Library, earlier:_

Twilight had become completely distraught over the recent turn of events. Fluttershy was in huge trouble, and now Swiftblade had rushed off to her aid, completely disregarding her own ponial safety. Twilight couldn't shake the horrible feeling that Swiftblade was in trouble, but she knew she couldn't go after her. Not only was Fluttershy still in danger, Twilight knew next to nothing about fighting. She had been in her share of dangerous situations before, but most of those times she had gotten out through clever use of the magic, the elements of harmony or simply running away.

Twilight couldn't figure out what to do. To her, it felt like time had slowed almost to a halt, and pressure to think of a solution was mounting on her. Finally, Twilight did the only thing she could think of.

"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted, not wanting to have to say it again.

"I'm right here…" Spike said flatly, standing just a few feet away.

"Oh good, you're here Spike, I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia right away," Twilight explained, although she couldn't keep the panic out of her voice. Spike wasted no time, fetching the usual quill and parchment.

"Alright, ready…" Spike said. However, Twilight quickly snatched the quill and parchment with her magic. "Hey, what gives?"

_Dear princess Celestia,_

_I am writing to you at the most critical of circumstances. A few days ago I met a pony who called herself Swiftblade, a warrior of the Mareamasa clan. We became friends after she rescued another one of my best friends. However, I fear there was much she had to hide, and now it threatens her life._

_I believe Swiftblade has some enemies nopony else knew about, and now she is fighting for her life. I need your advice, post-haste. I know this may sound strange, but you have to believe me. _

_Your Faithful Student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

Twilight rolled up the parchment the moment she was done, and Spike gave it a burst of his green flames while it was still in mid-air.

"I just hope the princess knows what to do…" Twilight concluded.

A few painstaking minutes passed, but no response came. Twilight was getting increasingly worried at this point. She tried to think of reasons why the princess was taking so long, but it didn't make her feel any better. Just then, Fluttershy burst in through the front door.

"Fluttershy! Thank goodness you're okay!" Twilight called out, although in truth Fluttershy looked anything but okay. She looked completely out of breath, and her eyes were still wet from her tears.

"Twilight… you have to help me… It's… it's Swiftblade, she's in trouble…" Fluttershy stammered.

"I know Fluttershy, I read the note," Twilight explained. "But now that you're okay, we can go help her… somehow…"

"Oh… do we really have to go? I mean, I guess if you really think she needs it…" Fluttershy trailed off, afraid to go back there while Wisegard was still there."

"We have to try and find the others first. I know that if we just stick together we'll be fine." Twilight said, thinking of a plan quickly. "Alright Fluttershy, you try and find Rainbow Dash and I'll find the others. We should all go straight to your house when we're done."

"Oh… alright. I just hope Swiftblade will be okay."

They both headed out with great haste. Fluttershy took to the skies searching for Rainbow Dash, before realising that Rainbow Dash still couldn't fly again yet, which left the question of where she would be right now. Since her home had been inaccessible to Rainbow Dash while she was on the ground, Fluttershy decided to try the clinic where Rainbow Dash was staying. Fortunately, she was right where Fluttershy hoped she was: in her bed having an afternoon nap. Fluttershy prodded Rainbow Dash, who simply waved her forelegs.

"Come onnn… five more minutes…" Rainbow Dash murmured.

"Uhm… I know you're sleeping, but we sort of need you. Swiftblade's in trouble and I…" Fluttershy was cut off as Rainbow Dash bolted upright.

"Wait, Swiftblade's in trouble? How can that be?" Rainbow Dash asked. In her mind Swiftblade would never have any problems dealing with danger.

"I…I… there was this scary pony…" Fluttershy started. She went on to explain how Wisegard had threatened her and Swiftblade had challenged her to a fight, allowing Fluttershy to escape.

"No way… Alright Fluttershy, let's go help our friend out…" Rainbow Dash said, jumping to her hooves, before wincing in pain over her right foreleg, which was still sore.

Twilight decided not to waste any time, using her teleportation to take her straight to Sugarcube corner. However, the shop was closed, and there was no sign of anypony inside. Twilight stomped a hoof in frustration, realising that now she probably wouldn't be able to find Pinkie Pie. Twilight looked around, and noticed an Apple cart not too far away. Twilight ran straight for it.

"Applejack!" Twilight called out. Fortunately, Applejack was nearby.

"Oh hey Twi, you alright? Ah haven't seen you in this kinda hurry fer a long time…"

"Actually Applejack, I need your help. I think Swiftblade is in huge trouble…"

"Swiftblade?" Applejack repeated incredulously. "Ah thought she was pretty tough mahself. Yer sure she's in trouble?"

"Well… no…" Twilight admitted. "But she went off to fight another pony who was threatening Fluttershy, even though I could tell she was in bad shape!" This was a lot for Applejack to take in.

"Well, if ye really think so…" Applejack said. "The cart should be safe here. Now let's go find the others."

"There's no time!" Twilight objected. "I already checked Sugarcube corner for Pinkie Pie, and now we've been talking for the last minute. Let's get to Fluttershy's house before it's too late…"

"But are yer sure about this? If Swiftblade's really in danger, ah don't think we'll be enough to help her…"

"Look, we'll worry about that when we get there. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy should be on their way too by now, that should be enough to stop this other pony before Swiftblade gets hurt."

"Well alright…" Applejack trailed off, still unsure about Twilight's plan and if it was worth all the trouble. The two of them galloped off to Fluttershy's house with all due haste.

It only took a few minutes for them to get there, but nothing could have prepared either of them for what they were greeted with. Swiftblade was on the ground with her eyes closed, and it had been clear that it had been every bit as bad as Twilight had feared. Her clothes were torn to pieces, but far worse was the wound on the front of her body, which had been bleeding badly. Twilight desperately checked for signs of life while Applejack just stood there is disbelief.

"Ah guess you were right…" Applejack said solemnly, before picking up her hat and holding it to her chest.

"No, we can't give up yet!" Twilight objected desperately, pressing her hoof against Swiftblade's neck. "There, I feel a pulse still. We have to do something!" While it was true that Swiftblade's heart was still beating, it was getting weaker by the second, and Twilight didn't know enough about healing magic to deal with something this severe. Just then, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash finally arrived, their initial reaction similar to Applejack's.

"It's… it's all my fault…" Fluttershy stammered, now tearing up again. "If only I hadn't… why…" Fluttershy was now crying again, prompting Rainbow Dash to hug her.

"Please… don't cry," Rainbow Dash said softly, holding back tears of her own. "Swiftblade never would have blamed you for what happened… she was cool like that…"

"Girls, please… we have to do something!" Twilight said, now completely distraught. Time was quickly running out, And Twilight was already out of options. Everypony was so caught up in what was happening they didn't notice what was going on behind them.

"Why is everypony so down?"

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked. Sure enough, her mentor and the ruler of Equestria stood behind her, her carriage not far behind. Unlike any other time however, nopony bowed down to her as now wasn't the time.

"I came here as soon as I got your letter. Is everything alright?" Celestia asked.

"I… I'm afraid not…" Twilight said dejectedly, pointing out where Swiftblade lay. "I think it may be too late…" Celestia said nothing, simply cantering up to where Swiftblade lay.

"Stand back everypony, this won't be easy," Celestia explained, as she closed her eyes and lit up her horn. Soon, the light from her horn became too bright to even look at, forcing everypony else to look away.

Swiftblade slowly felt the real world coming back to her. She slowly opened her eyes, and realised that the searing pain in her chest was no longer there. She took a look at her chest, and was surprised by what she saw. While her coat was still stained by her blood, the wounds she had sustained were completely gone. Swiftblade felt the strength returning to her legs, and decided to get back up on her hooves. Then she noticed everypony watching her.

"Oh… oh no," Swiftblade whispered, stepping back slowly.

"What's wrong Swiftblade? You're okay now…" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were still letting what had just happened sink in. Swiftblade sighed heavily. While her body may have been healed, her mind was going through an emotional turmoil.

"I'm sorry Twilight, truly…" Swiftblade started.

"Sorry for what?" Twilight asked.

"I lied to you all… and then I made Fluttershy suffer for it. Not that any of it matters now…" Swiftblade trailed off. Just then, Celestia approached Swiftblade

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me," Celestia said in a flat tone.

"I… I understand…" Swiftblade conceded, slowly heading to Celestia's carriage with her head hung low. Celestia turned round to head back herself but Twilight ran into her path before she could step forward.

"Please reconsider what you're going to do princess, I know Swiftblade did some things wrong but she did them for the right reasons. She's still my friend!" Twilight pleaded, which caused Swiftblade to cock her head briefly.

"This is something I simply must do…" Celestia explained. "I'm sure my final decision will be fair." Celestia then winked at Twilight and cantered around her, leaving Twilight and the other ponies behind. Swiftblade had already stepped up onto Celestia's Carriage, leaving Celestia to get on herself, and the carriage flew off into the distance.

"Please princess… don't be too hard on her…" Twilight whispered. While Twilight had faith in Celestia's judgement, she couldn't shake the horrible feeling that Swiftblade would be punished unfairly.

The carriage flew straight back to Canterlot castle, and the journey had been silent apart from the wind gently whistling by. It wasn't too long before they reached their destination: a small platform on the upper reaches on Canterlot castle, where a colt in uniform was waiting for them.

"Follow me," Celestia instructed to Swiftblade; gently but still monotone, before stepping off the carriage.

"You majesty," the colt waiting for them said. "I was not informed of any plans for you to leave Canterlot. Is everything alright?"

"Something important came up at short notice, but nothing is wrong. Though I would like not to be disturbed for a while," Celestia explained.

"Very well," the colt concluded, heading off through a smaller set of doors, leaving Swiftblade and Celestia alone.

"This way," Celestia told Swiftblade, cantering towards a large set of double doors. The pair of them headed through hallway adorned with portraits of important looking ponies, as well as chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and windows running on one side. It was getting dark outside, but the lights had already been lit.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Celestia asked.

"I am not sure… and to be honest, I am afraid to find out right now," Swiftblade explained, giving Celestia a look of concern.

"Afraid? I don't think I understand…" Celestia said.

"Where I come from, I have heard many terrible things about you. That you rule through fear, while pretending to be just. That not even your next of kin is safe from your wrath…" Swiftblade started to explain, when Celestia sighed. Undeterred, Swiftblade continued. "It was in spite of these things that I came here to Equestria. I wanted to prove myself by training myself in complete solitude, sticking to the shadows or where other ponies dare not venture. But the cry of another pony in danger was not one I could ignore, and in the end those ponies decided to be my friend. In the end all I ended up doing was lying to them and making them suffer. If nothing else I was a horrible friend…" Celestia wasn't sure which issue she wanted to address first.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? Why did you come here to Equestria at all? I've never seen another pony from the Mareamasa clan in a long time," Celestia asked, hoping the rest of the questions she had would unfold from there.

"Well, it's true that I was born in the Mareamasa clan, to the family of the greatest warriors in the clan. But I soon found I was never allowed to be a warrior of the clan. The Mareamasa clan has been one made purely of Earth Ponies since its creation. I was born of two of these Earth Ponies, and yet I had wings. I was told I could never be the great warrior my ancestors were, and all because I was a Pegasus pony. I tried to take up the blade myself, only to get the scar on my flank," Swiftblade explained, gesturing towards it. "It was more than I could take. Even my own parents thought of me as an outcast. I wanted so badly to prove myself to everypony else, but none of them would let me. So finally I took the few things I would need and left the island. I blackened my mane and even gave myself a new name because I wanted so badly to be accepted by my family. Even if it was just a fleeting dream, I hoped one day I could prove myself…"

"So then why did you lie to your friends?" Celestia now asked.

"If anything I was lying to myself," Swiftblade explained. "I told others that I was a great warrior because that's what I wanted to believe myself. And after what my friends thought of me, I didn't want to tell them I was just a runaway and an outcast…" Swiftblade continued.

"I see…" Celestia mused. "I had hoped I would have been able to reconcile some of the differences between the Mareamasa clan and myself…"

"So that's why you brought me here," Swiftblade said.

"That's right. It was over a thousand years ago the Mareamasa clan set hoof here in Equestria. They never told me the reason that they came here, but at the time Equestria was faced with war. There were many other creatures out there that sought to take advantage of our peaceful lands. Then the Mareamasa clan offered to stay here in Equestria and help us deal with the invaders. While they lacked numbers, they had skills many other ponies did not. They could fight off many enemies with their tactics. They could avert entire wars by assassinating key enemies. While I did not approve of taking the life of another, their actions saved many lives. The Mareamasa clan because renowned and respected all over Equestria for their skills. But about a thousand years ago, something happened that nearly sealed the fate of Equestria, and I was forced to use all of my power to stop the worst from happening. After that, no one would dare to attack Equestria again; afraid of what I could do. I did not appreciate being feared, but to maintain peace in Equestria it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. The Mareamasa clan however soon became restless. They could not stand that after basing their entire lives around fighting; their skills were no longer needed. So they took matters into their own hands, attacking the lands around Equestria. I told them that I would not stand for unnecessary bloodshed, so they left Equestria, after insisting that no traces of their existence be left behind," Celestia explained. They both stopped walking forward as they came to what appeared to be a dead end.

"Wait, when you mentioned the incident a thousand years ago…" Swiftblade started.

"Yes, the Nightmare Moon incident. How did you know about that?" Celestia asked

"Twilight Sparkle told me about it. She also told me about the elements of harmony," Swiftblade explained. "And now I think I understand them. You see, for my whole life, I thought the only kind of strength was the ability to fight. But there's so much more out there. The elements of harmony come from the strength in one's heart."

"You must not forget, the elements of harmony also come from the bonds of friendship shared between them," Celestia told her.

"I know that…" Swiftblade said. "I just hope they can forgive me for what I've done…"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Celestia assured her. "They've forgiven far worse things. If you're really their friend, they won't hold anything against you."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia. And thank you for saving me. I am sorry if I got your hopes up regarding the Mareamasa clan…" Swiftblade said.

"It is not a problem. But what will you do now?" Celestia asked.

"I want to protect my friends. I am afraid that the Mareamasa clan will still come after me. And Ponyville is the first place they'll go to find me. They have already shown me their indifference to the suffering of innocent ponies, so until I resolve this matter my friends are in danger. Unfortunately, I no longer have a weapon to help me…" Swiftblade explained.

"That shouldn't be a problem…" Celestia said. Then, she inserted her horn into a hole in the wall, causing it to open up. She then floated something out of the area beyond the wall with her magic, before closing off the concealed area once again. Celestia showed Swiftblade what she had recovered: a sheathed Katana. "I want you to have this. It was a memento of a time when there was a bond of trust between the royalty of Equestria and Mareamasa clan."

Celestia released it from her magic into Swiftblade's hooves. Swiftblade got up and slowly pulled it out of its sheath. The blade was polished to a shine, and had artwork depicting the royal sisters with Mareamasa warriors etched into it. The hilt was threaded with silver and had a clear gemstone on the end.

"It's beautiful…" Swiftblade murmured.

"Although you are not a Mareamasa warrior, you uphold the ideals that once made the Mareamasa clan the most respected warriors in Equestria, so I'm entrusting this to you."

"I am humbled by your generosity. I promise to you that I will put this to good use," Swiftblade said, sheathing the blade.

"What are you going to do exactly?" Celestia asked.

"I'm going to go back to my home island, back to the Mareamasa clan and stop the attacks. With my blade if need be," Swiftblade explained, causing Celestia to give another look of concern. "I promise you this is for the sake of my friends. I don't want them to suffer on my count any longer. I have never used my blade to take a life, and I don't plan on starting now if I can avoid it…"

"And what about your friends? Would they want you to do this?" Celestia asked

"I guess I'm going to find out. After all, I'm going to need their help preparing." Swiftblade noticed that not only had it gotten completely dark outside already, it was now starting to rain.

"Would you like to like to stay here tonight?" Celestia asked. "I wouldn't feel right making you go back home in the rain."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer…" Swiftblade said, smiling. "I've got a big day tomorrow and I need to be prepared…


End file.
